ALA Midwinter: Not the Cheesecake Factory – Walkable Eats

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Do you consider yourself a foodie?’  Then you probably will want to skip the Cheesecake Factory and try out some of these unique Seattle spots for enjoyable conference eats:

  • Blue C Sushi – 1510 7th Ave – quick, yummy, close to convention center
  • Taylor Shellfish Farms– 1521 Melrose Ave – awesome oyster bar, get fresh local seafood and wine
  • Le Pichet – 1933 1st Ave – delightful French food – if you aren’t hungry, just get the chocolat chaud, it is to die for.
  • Ristorante Machiavelli – 1215 Pine St – great Italian place, a relatively short uphill walk from the convention center
  • Alibi Room – 85 Pike St (in Post Alley) – a lovely hide-away, perfect break from tourist crowds at the Pike Place Market.

For many more suggestions of places to eat in Seattle, the Local Arrangements Committee invites you to check out’ YALSA’s Midwinter wiki.

~ Sarah Evans & Dawn Rutherford,’ YALSA Local Arrangements Committee,’ Midwinter Seattle 2013

ALA Midwinter: Best Places to Find a Seattle Souvenir

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Looking for a Seattle souvenir?’  Check out these places to find fun and interesting gifts with Seattle flair for family, friends, and yourself.’  All shops are located within walking distance or a short bus ride from the Convention Center.

FriendShop at the Central Library (Downtown)

Ye Olde Curiosity Shop(Waterfront)

Simply Seattle (locations near Pike Place Market and the Waterfront)

Made in Washington (locations Downtown and in the Pike Place Market)

ALA Midwinter: After Hours Networking Fun

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Happy Hour

Saturday, Jan. 26th
5:30 – 7:30pm
The Tap House Grill‘ 
1506 6th Ave’ 
Mingle with YA librarians and YA lit enthusiasts at this YALSA’ sponsored’ happy hour. Network, enjoy good company, and partake in complimentary appetizers and drinks.

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Drinks
The Tap House features over 160 beers on tap including local and national craft beers as well as a good selection of Belgians. They also serve cocktails, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages.

Door Prizes
There will be giveaways featuring Seattle coffee and Seattle chocolate!

Location
The Tap House Grill is located less than a block from the Convention Center. Note: Enter from the street and proceed down a long flight of stairs.

Karaoke Night

Saturday, Jan. 26th
9:30pm – 2am
The’ Spectator
529 Queen Anne Avenue North
After happy hour, take a quick nap or grab a bite to eat and then head over to The Spectator in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood for some karaoke shenanigans. Beginning at 9:30pm, Baby Ketten will bring their unique brand of karaoke, and according to their Facebook page, “bkk offers the best karaoke in the universe. period.”
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ALA Midwinter: Thrifting and Vintage Shopping in Seattle

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thrift

Even if you haven’t heard of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis yet, it’s likely that your library teens are big fans. Hailing from Seattle, the duo’s independently released album, The Heist entered at #1 on the US iTunes charts in October, 2012. In this video for the song “Thrift Shop,” you can listen to Macklemore extolling the virtues of thrifting while watching him patronize some of the recommended shops on this list.

Note: The song contains offensive language and is NSFW!

Seattle boasts a wide variety of thrift shops, vintage boutiques, and resale stores scattered throughout its neighborhoods. Sure, the city has great shopping downtown, but if you’re looking for something off the beaten path, not saturated with tourists, and a little less corporate, here are just a few favorites.
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ALA Midwinter: Great Places to Catch Up with Friends

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In those precious hours between committee meetings, hitting the exhibit halls, and conference sessions, it’s always nice to catch up with friends you may only see once or twice a year.’  Here’s a list of places in Seattle you can spend a little time hanging out.

Take a walk down to Pike Place Market.’  If flying fish and touristy t-shirts aren’t your thing, descend the stairs from the Main Arcade and explore the labyrinth of shops below on the Down Under level.’  Browse antique shops, visit an international bazaar, or buy some art from local artists.

If you have an hour or two to spare, take a walk to the Frye Art Museum. In addition to the founding collection of 19th and 20th century European paintings, the museum also showcases Northwest artists. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday and admission is free.
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ALA Midwinter: The Seattle Literary Mindset

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Seattle has a thriving YA author population who set their books right here in Emerald City – or nearby. Whether you are attending Midwinter or not, here are a few titles to get you in a Pacific Northwest’ frame of mind.

jade

‘ The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti

Suffering from panic attacks, Jade finds it calming to watch the Woodland Park Zoo’s elephant webcam. Her fascination with the animals (and a boy she sees working with them) encourage her to get out of her comfort zone.

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ALA Midwinter: Don’t Be Sleepless In Seattle – Read This!

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So you’ve registered for Midwinter Meeting 2013, and you’re looking forward to attending the meetings, walking the exhibit hall, and sightseeing in Seattle. Now it’s time to find a place to stay. Unless you live in the area or have friends or family in Seattle with a spare bedroom, you’re going to need to start thinking about accommodations.

Luckily ALA has already worked out special rates for 14 different hotels which are all fairly close to the Convention Center. You can peruse those hotels here‘  and’ learn about booking here.
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Seattle, finally

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It took most of the day what with delays at the airport and head winds slowing us down, but there are now hundreds more of us roaming through the streets of downtown Seattle for ALA.

How nice to see some library luminaries on the flight up from Houston (or is it over?). Bonnie Kunzel, past president of YALSA, Jane Claes, on the Notable Children’s Recordings Committee, and Victor Schill, past BBYA and QP Committee member were all on board. There were many others all heading to ALA. We were a quiet group on the flight mostly because all of us (duh!) were reading. However, by now many have made their way to various eateries and are enjoying the wonderful city of Seattle.

No meetings for me until tomorrow afternoon. That gives me time to get my ALA materials and then head off to the first of many meetings, the Margaret Edwards Committee. With any luck, the committee will settle on the 2007 recipient tomorrow. After that, it is off to the USBBY session with Terry Trueman.

Keep up with all the fun and work as we bloggers let those of you who could not come to the lovely Seattle what you are all missing.

Posted by Teri Lesesne